Ways reduce global warming

I’VE just discovered the hardest word in science.Not pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (inflammation of the lungs caused by inhalation of silica dust). Nor palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (a lipid bilayer found in nerve tissue).No, the actual hardest word — which scientists use so rarely it might as well not exist — is “Sorry”.Which is a shame because right now the scientists owe us an apology so enormous that I doubt even a bunch of two dozen roses every day for the rest of our lives is quite enough to make amends for the damage they’ve done.Thanks to their bad advice on climate change our gas and electricity bills have rocketed.So too have our taxes, our car bills and the cost of flying abroad, our kids have been brainwashed into becoming tofu-munching eco-zealots, our old folk have frozen to death in fuel poverty, our countryside has been blighted with ranks of space-age solar panels and bat-chomping, bird-slicing … [Read more...] about How scientists got their global warming sums wrong — and created a £1TRILLION-a-year green industry that bullied experts who dared to question the figures

Germany gave the green light on Monday to a controversial plan with India to drop six tons of iron dust in the South Atlantic. The experiment is the biggest trial ever of iron fertilization, a technology which could theoretically help stop global warming at very little cost. But following complaints by environmentalists, Germany's Science Ministry ordered the plan suspended while it conducted an urgent review. "After careful a study of expert reports, I am convinced there are no scientific or legal objections to the German-Indian marine research project," Research Minister Annette Schavan said on Monday, Jan. 26. "I have therefore decided … to begin the experiment." Opponents of the plan fear that the results could be catastrophic, worring that it would cause the sea to become more acidic or trigger algae blooms that would deprive large areas of the ocean of oxygen. Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel told Schavan in a letter recently that the experiment "destroys Germany's … [Read more...] about Germany Gives Green Light to Global Warming Experiment

EU leaders agreed tough targets last month for reducing emissions of the gases that cause global warming, with the aim of limiting the rise in temperature to below two degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN's top expert authority on global warming, said in its report Friday that up to 30 percent of animal and plant species will be vulnerable to extinction if global temperatures rise by 1.5-2.5 C (2.7 F to 4.5 F). "The report shows many of the serious impacts that would occur if global warming exceeded the EU's target of not more than two degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level," European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said. "The temperature today is already almost 0.8 degrees Celcius above that level, so the world needs to act fast if we are to succeed in stabilizing climate change and thereby prevent its worst impacts," he said in a statement. Global warming to hit Europe unevenly … [Read more...] about EU Says Report Underscores Need to Limit Global Warming

Dimas told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that Germany must "be aware of its responsibility and its position as a role model in the fight against climate change." Germany, which currently holds the rotating European Union presidency, has said the environment is one of its priorities. Yet it opposes a number of recent proposals by the European to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, including plans to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new cars and impose an emissions quota for 2008-2012. "If Germany drags its feet, the rest of Europe will do the same," Dimas said. "And if Europe doesn't take part, then the world won't either. In that case, we might as well all pack our bags." Nations "hide" behind German inaction An auto industry official said carmakers would invest billions in cutting greenhouse gasses The commissioner said other European nations, such as Britain and Sweden, were close to achieving their targets for … [Read more...] about EU Urges Germany to Lead in Fight Against Global Warming

Steps to control global warming would require less than 0.1 percent of world's annual gross domestic product, according to the 24-page report released by the IPCC on Friday in Bangkok. "If we continue to do what we are doing now, we are in deep trouble," said Ogunlade Davidson, co-chair of the IPCC. "This report is all about solutions to climate change." The report presented a best-case scenario of limiting global warming to 2.0-2.4 degrees Celsius (3.6-4.3 degrees Fahrenheit), which is generally recognized as the threshold to avoiding the most extreme consequences of climate change. CO2 reduction still possible Protestors in Bangkok demanded governments take action on climate change There is "substantial" potential for the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below current levels without crippling the global economy since many of the tools already exist and could be quickly implemented, the report said. Harnessing more solar, wind, and hydro-power could have a large … [Read more...] about Report: Reducing Global Warming Won’t Derail World Economy

In a speech during her first visit to Japan as German chancellor, Angela Merkel said Thursday both developing and industrialized nations need to agree on specific targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. "We have to assume that emerging nations naturally don't want the same responsibility" as industrialized nations, the chancellor said, speaking at a symposium organized by Japan's Nikkei media group in Tokyo. A more palatable pact for emerging nations Developing countries such as India and China, experiencing skyrocketing growth rates, are worried that strict environmental regulations will dent their economic boom. They want industrialized nations, the chief polluters, to bear the brunt of emission cuts. China's rapid economic boom is taking a heavy toll on its environment Merkel suggested that as a compromise, developing countries should be allowed to increase their emissions per capita while industrialized nations cut theirs, until both sides reach the same level. … [Read more...] about Merkel Proposes New Blueprint to Fight Global Warming

"If we collectively chicken out of this we'll all turn into chickens and we'll all be fried, grilled, toasted and roasted," International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde said, talking to officials at the IMF and the World Bank's annual meeting in Lima, Peru. As a solution, Lagarde suggested that taxing carbon emissions would be one way of raising funds to sponsor poorer countries' efforts to tackle global warming. "It is just the right moment to introduce carbon taxes," she said, adding that this could also help governments boost revenues at a time when most countries had little in the manner of "fiscal buffers" to tide them over during a bad financial phase. Revenues from carbon taxes could contribute to rich nations' funding target of $100 billion (89 billion euros) a year by 2020 to help poorer nations fight the impact of climate change, the IMF head explained. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) latest report, the world was … [Read more...] about Global warming will have us ‘roasted and toasted,’ says IMF chief Lagarde

2 degrees Celsius Keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) is a target for tackling climate change adopted by the UNFCCC at COP16 in 2010. As far back as the 1970s, scientists predicted that a global temperature rise of 2 degrees C would set in motion devastating and irreversible consequences. More recently, scientists have warned that around this temperature, ice sheets will begin to melt at an uncontrollable rate, resulting in massive sea level rise. 400 ppm In March 2013, the global concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere stayed over 400 parts per million for a month for the first time in recorded history - and perhaps for the first time in 25 million years. Some scientists had considered this to be a milestone - albeit a negative one - for climate change. CO2 concentration of 400 ppm represents a rise of 85 ppm since measurements began in 1958. And scientists add that the rate of change is increasing to an alarming 2.75 ppm per … [Read more...] about Climate talk: decoding the global warming jargon

The study, commissioned by the European Commission in Brussels, forecasts drought-like conditions in southern Europe, rich harvests in the north and dramatic economic consequences if the world does not act to slow global warming. The study is set to be published by the EU on Wednesday and will coincide with the Commission's much-touted policy on energy security and ways to reduce the 27-member bloc's dependence on oil and gas. German news agency dpa, which acquired a draft of the climate-change study, reported that if the global climate were to heat up by 2.2 to 3 degrees Celsius by 2071 -- compared to 1990 levels -- then up to 86,000 people could die as a result. Even the tourism industry in the Mediterranean, worth billions of euros, could be severely affected, the study said. Some 100 million sun-seekers from northern Europe travel each year to the beaches of Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy, making southern Europe one of the world's most popular destinations. But if … [Read more...] about EU Study Warns of Catastrophe if Global Warming Not Curbed

With wisps of morning fog drifting across the surface of the Irrsee, ecologist Harald Ficker lowers a thermometer into the deep blue water to measure the Earth's global warming fever. Since the 1970s, the water has warmed about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) - twice as fast as the global average. Although that may be nice for early-season visitors to the popular swimming lake near Salzburg, it's not so good for fish. Global warming has been disrupting ecosystems here, and in lakes around the world. As temperatures continue to rise, that will affect fisheries, water supplies, farming, recreation and energy production - prompting scientists to consider how to make lakes more resilient to climate change. Ficker monitors lakes for the Austrian environment ministry. As he takes readings at different depths, he describes the changes. In spring, the ice has been melting a month earlier than in 1975. With the ice gone, the top layer of water heats up. Measurements show that the … [Read more...] about Can we save our lakes from global warming?